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Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Who is Ed Gossage. You fine out soon. Where is he? Well, reading this website's column on sports memorabilia, that's where. Evidently there was some prior discussion about about 1954 Sugar Bowl watch given to players. Of course Georgia Tech played in this game, beating West Virginia 42-19. Ed Gossage was the team's co-captain. Here's the letter from Gossage about this watch and the columnists response:

Dear Babe: Your answer about a Sugar Bowl watch from 1954 in a recentarticle was quite interesting but not quite accurate. I was co-captain of theGeorgia Tech football team in the 1954 Sugar Bowl game. We beat West Virginia,42-19. I also have the "blue face" watch referred to, but it's an Elgin not aBulova. Three football icons for the numbers 3, 6 and 9 supplement the nineletters in Sugar Bowl. I also have the identical watch for the '53 Sugar Bowl(GT 24, Ole Miss 7) and a really "neat" self-winding, Swiss-made watch from the1952 Orange Bowl (GT 17, Baylor 14).- Ed Gossage, Duluth, Ga.

All right, it's nice to know someone out there is really reading thequestions and answers. First off, Georgia Tech was a powerhouse during yourthree years there, going 32-2-2; including the bowl victories. The team was10-0-1 in 1951. The Ramblin' Wrecks followed that up with an 11-0 season.Although Michigan State went 9-0 and was named national champions in most polls,the International News Service voted Georgia Tech the top team in its poll. In1953, Tech "fell" to 8-2-1. That gave you quite a varsity career record.

As for the watch brands, the mystery is solved thanks to Mike Heffner,president of Lelands.com auction house in New York. The watches were given tothe players by their schools and not the bowl committees. Georgia Tech playersreceived Elgin watches, while the West Virginia players received Bulovas.Heffner did revise his earlier estimate to say that the watches were probablyworth $1,000-$1,500 each.